Mark Cuban and Falcons minority owner Rashaun Williams, through their firm Harbinger Sports Partners, have purchased a minority stake in the Oakland Athletics, now preparing for their relocation to Las Vegas. Harbinger, co-founded last May by Cuban, Williams, former MLB executive Jonathan Mariner, and Steve Cannon, announced this as their inaugural investment. Though financial details such as the stake size and price were not revealed, Forbes values the A’s at around $2 billion. Harbinger plans to invest in multiple North American sports teams, targeting 10 to 12 minority stakes with the $750 million fund they are raising.

The Athletics are currently in a transitional phase, playing most 2026 home games at Sacramento’s minor league stadium with limited capacity and attendance. The team is slated to begin full-time play in Las Vegas in 2028 at a new 33,000-seat ballpark on the Strip. The stadium’s initial budget of $1.5 billion has risen to about $2 billion, with owner John Fisher covering all costs beyond a capped public funding contribution. Williams emphasized that Harbinger’s investment is not intended to fund the stadium construction but to strategically partner with the franchise and leverage the new ballpark’s prime location amid Las Vegas’ robust tourism.

Harbinger’s leadership believes their insider expertise, especially Mariner’s decades in MLB’s front office, gives them a negotiation edge and deep insight into baseball operations. Cuban praised the deal’s execution by Williams and Mariner and expressed enthusiasm for joining the Athletics’ management and ownership group. The firm is confident in the market’s ability to sustain the A’s despite Las Vegas already hosting NFL, NHL, WNBA teams, and potential NBA expansion talks, citing thorough research and demand validation across sports, media, and entertainment sectors.

Despite ongoing MLB labor uncertainties with collective bargaining talks and potential strikes, Williams views these as long-term opportunities since the stadium won’t open until 2028. Harbinger sees structural benefits in MLB from possible future salary caps and national media contracts enhancing competitive balance and revenue streams. Meanwhile, owner Fisher is reportedly selling another asset, the San Jose Earthquakes MLS team, independently of the A’s transaction. The Athletics will maintain the name “Athletics” without geographic designation during their Sacramento and early Las Vegas tenure due to unresolved trademark issues.